The Aurora Approach
by MissMarifire
Summary: A retired space captain enjoys his long-deserved break... until a familiar friend gives him an offer he simply couldn't refuse.


"You have -one- new message received," the assistant AI chirped from afar.

An elderly gentleman was resting himself within the arms of his comforter, gazing upon the open space before him, and of the stars that occupied it. Memories poured from the view, of the many voyages he once ventured in. Travelling across the stars was his childhood dream, and in his life he achieved such a dream in strides. Throughout his adulthood was filled with adventure, fueled by an insatiable wanderlust that he craved. As his age began to show and his health waned, however, his desires would soon be put to-

"Hollister, you have -one- new message," the AI broke his train of thought.

Hollister hesitated for a moment, realizing that the AI was trying to get his attention. "Yes, yes," he yawned, stretching. "From who?"

"Chairman Frederick Bradley of Alterra Corporation."

Frederick Bradley… hearing the familiar name made him double take. A crewmate he once called his friend. The two were inseparable, working together for any mission or contract offered to them. This friendship was long-lasting, but not without its faults: Bradley was more interested in settling down, making a living for himself without threatening his livelihood on a constant basis than searching for thrills, something that Hollister had always sought in his youth- and now, he longed to seek adventure once more. Still, after the two parted ways, Hollister missed the man he once sailed the stars with decades ago.

"Hollister, you have -one- new message," the AI continued to prod.

He breathed in, letting out a deep sigh. "Play the message."

The AI made a beep before running the message. "Hollister, old friend!" the familiar voice greeted warmly. "How has that retirement of yours been? I hope all that rest and relaxation hasn't driven you to insanity, has it? You were always a restless man… It's been a long time, you know. Call me, I have some important news for you."

Sitting back into his chair, Hollister pondered once more. It was an awful long time… the last he could recall having seen Bradley was when he celebrated his promotion with Alterra several years ago. Perhaps it was due time to talk with his old friend, the talk of 'important news' piquing his interest. Whether or not if it were actually good news or just something that bored him entirely was an afterthought: Hollister simply looked forward to talking with him again.

"Call him," he told the AI. "Call Fred."

"Unknown recipient. Please try again."

Hollister grunted in frustration. "Damned machines…" he mumbled under his breath. "Call Frederick Bradley."

Making its programmed beeps, the AI prepared the call for him. For a short moment there was silence, but this silence was short-lived as a friendly greeting, accompanied by the chairman's visage, would soon welcome him: "Ah, good evening, Hollister! I was a little worried for a moment, but I knew you still had that fire in you!"

"A pleasure to hear from you again, Fred," Hollister smiled.

From the other end, Bradley gave a warm chuckle. "So, let us talk. What has my old friend Hollister been up to as of late?"

"I'm more curious to see what you have to tell," Hollister replied. "You were the one who said that there was important news to be shared."

"That? Oh, goodness, that. The news. Yes. I'm here to offer you a contract."

"A contract?"

"Indeed. Old friend, would you be interested in working with Alterra?"

The Alterra Corporation were not known for hiring seasoned captains; with minimizing loss and maximizing profits as their primary targets, they sought to hire more youthful, disposable crews for their ventures: should they succeed, the crews would have more experience without costing Alterra the funds for more skilled crews and Alterra would be making as much money as possible. Should they fail, however, then there would be little to have been lost from the young bunch. For what reason would they want to hire an experienced, let alone retired captain? It confused Hollister, but his confusion was beaten by his own curiosity towards the matter.

Hollister placed his hand upon his chin. "Well, what do you need? If it's that important to hound up your old crewmate about it, it must be something big."

"Why, of course! We need a captain, one whose experience in delving into the farthest reaches of the system exceeds that of our own. Expertise such as yours," Bradley explained, pointing a finger towards Hollister before putting his hands to a steeple, his fingertips resting upon one another. "A Mongolian vessel owned by the Torgal Corporation was lost within the Ariadne Arm. The vessel held not only its CEO, but the heir to the family business as well. I wish to seize the moment we have to attain proof of their losses so that we may acquire the company's assets for Alterra. While we're within the Ariadne Arm, arrangements have been made to prepare a phasegate for my company's use."

Taking advantage of another's dire situation for his own profits? A classic Bradley move, Hollister thought to himself. He knew his friend as the greedy kind, taking advantage of any opportunity to make an extra handful of credits. This didn't mean that Bradley was a soulless hack out simply for money- time and time again in the past he'd have his moments to step outside of his greed to help others… but this case was not one of them. Before Hollister could ask any questions, however, Bradley continued.

"You will be provided one of our state-of-the-art capital ships: The Aurora, Alterra's newest and most well-equipped yet- and in two years time, will see completion. The mission will take eighteen months to travel into the Ariadne Arm, featuring but not limited to a zero-gravity gymnasium, a cinema complete with early access to footage of theatrical releases within the timeframe you and your crew will be gone, a cafe with a myriad of foods to your disposal. All these luxuries, and much, much more. For Alterra's newest addition, would you be willing to take part as the lead role?"

Hollister paused, contemplating the offer. It was tempting, no doubt, but much of the plan Bradley proposed troubled the old captain. "But why do you need me in particular to captain the entire crew? Don't you Alterrans have your own to pick from?"

"Hmph. I knew you'd say that," a sly smirk formed upon Bradley's lips. "You were always a restless one, Hollister. It's been a long time since you've sailed the stars, no? I figured that it'd be a mission easy enough to get you out of that home of yours and back into space, and my company would also gain from it. A win-win for the both of us."

Hollister looked back towards the open space. To go out and explore the stars once more, let alone the far off reaches of the Ariadne Arm, a vast galaxy composed of nearly entirely uncharted space in particular, was an enticing thought for him; the idea of being tied down by Alterra was rather less so, however. The offer wasn't sitting too particularly well with him on top of this, as something was not right with the offer Bradley had provided to him. "I'll… consider it," he said, his voice thick of reluctance. "But what's the catch to your little plan?"

Bradley stopped for a moment before answering his question. "Ah, the catch! Catch is, you are to follow Alterra's code of conduct. That means, no going pantless all day in the Captain's Quarters like you used to before," he jested. "And no goofing off during work hours. No Craig McGill simulators for you, Captain 'Hot Dog Hollister'."

The two men chuckled together in jest. "Oh, come now, Fred! Not even Craig McGill simulators? Now you're just trying to torture me."

"...Maybe one. Two if you get on my good side."


End file.
